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I'll start by saying that I adore Taoism. The poetry, teachings, concepts, elusiveness of it all... it feels like I'm made for it in some ways. It's my desire to become a sage, to give up on ambition and embrace non-action. There was a time, when my life was a lot less stressful than it is now, that I was able to sit and be still. But now it feels like I'm constantly anxious and always TRYING.

A large part of me feels like I have to try, like I'll lose everything if I don't. This part of me likes to point out the mistakes I've made in relationships and work when I stop trying, when I give up and just Be.

The other part of me wants to learn how to live without caring about that stuff.

What I don't quite understand is how am I supposed to give up trying if it means I will lose some of the relationships in my life which I care so much about? Giving up on people isn't a good thing is it? I don't know how to not act and just go with the flow when so often what happens when I do that is isolation. I always find myself falling away from people and into introversion when I don't force myself to be social.

I suppose I don't really know what my questions is, haha. I'm just confused and curious about what others have learned about non-action.

--------------------A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. - Tao Te Ching Chapter 27

I mind you, this is fully out of my perception of things, so don't cling to it. It is only you who can decide and no one else can do it for you.

To simply BE doesn't mean you will passively sit and watch the world go by. It means you have faith in fate. You believe in it and trust it. Trust it to take you wherever you are destined to go, not where YOU decide to go.Not like - I WILL become a sage because I want to. but like - I don't know the future, it's not mine to know, but i'll just go with the flow (of events) and follow it wherever it wants to take me. I don't care. I'm not attached to it. I'm just enjoying the ride.Imagine a bird in your chest. Can you feel him? This is the life force. Learn to feel it. Practice it. It will tell you if you're on the right path or not. The mind will fight it, tell you a different story. Up to you which one you choose as your guide

Quote:cbub said:To simply BE doesn't mean you will passively sit and watch the world go by. It means you have faith in fate. You believe in it and trust it. Trust it to take you wherever you are destined to go, not where YOU decide to go.Not like - I WILL become a sage because I want to. but like - I don't know the future, it's not mine to know, but i'll just go with the flow (of events) and follow it wherever it wants to take me. I don't care. I'm not attached to it. I'm just enjoying the ride.

This makes sense to me. I feel like I've been trying too hard to railroad my life in certain directions. A lot of this confusion started when I moved in with some people who I didn't really care to move in with just because I was so determined to move out of my previous situation. If I had been still and listened I probably would have waited for a better opportunity to come along. Now I'm stuck here and trying to make the best of it. But I feel the tug in a different direction than the one I'm going in.

It's difficult to not care and dwell in consciousness when I'm so frustrated with the people I live with and how it limits the lifestyle I feel works best for me. I've been trying to learn how to just roll with it and not care as I wait for the lease to end. I've gotten better but yeah, it is a process.

The weird thing is, I've been through it before and got to the place I wanted to be (or at least very far down the right path) but somehow lost it.

--------------------A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. - Tao Te Ching Chapter 27

Quote:The Human Floyd said:I'll start by saying that I adore Taoism. The poetry, teachings, concepts, elusiveness of it all... it feels like I'm made for it in some ways. It's my desire to become a sage, to give up on ambition and embrace non-action. There was a time, when my life was a lot less stressful than it is now, that I was able to sit and be still. But now it feels like I'm constantly anxious and always TRYING.

A large part of me feels like I have to try, like I'll lose everything if I don't. This part of me likes to point out the mistakes I've made in relationships and work when I stop trying, when I give up and just Be.

The other part of me wants to learn how to live without caring about that stuff.

What I don't quite understand is how am I supposed to give up trying if it means I will lose some of the relationships in my life which I care so much about? Giving up on people isn't a good thing is it? I don't know how to not act and just go with the flow when so often what happens when I do that is isolation. I always find myself falling away from people and into introversion when I don't force myself to be social.

I suppose I don't really know what my questions is, haha. I'm just confused and curious about what others have learned about non-action.

Try some qigong. I've been doing it for the last few days and have really been enjoying it.

I also noticed the less I tried to make relationships work, the better, smoother, and more enjoyable they became. It's not ignoring relationships, nor is it clinging to them.

Attachments take a while to let go of. Don't think you'll transition from a state of constantly trying to a state of non-doing. Each day try and let go a bit more and have faith that things will work out.

Quote:The Human Floyd said:I'll start by saying that I adore Taoism. The poetry, teachings, concepts, elusiveness of it all... it feels like I'm made for it in some ways. It's my desire to become a sage, to give up on ambition and embrace non-action. There was a time, when my life was a lot less stressful than it is now, that I was able to sit and be still. But now it feels like I'm constantly anxious and always TRYING.

A large part of me feels like I have to try, like I'll lose everything if I don't. This part of me likes to point out the mistakes I've made in relationships and work when I stop trying, when I give up and just Be.

The other part of me wants to learn how to live without caring about that stuff.

What I don't quite understand is how am I supposed to give up trying if it means I will lose some of the relationships in my life which I care so much about? Giving up on people isn't a good thing is it? I don't know how to not act and just go with the flow when so often what happens when I do that is isolation. I always find myself falling away from people and into introversion when I don't force myself to be social.

I suppose I don't really know what my questions is, haha. I'm just confused and curious about what others have learned about non-action.

What i've found is that recognizing this place of non-action within myself, actions continue, they may slow at first so it seems like your going to basically fall into the backround or die or something like that, but then actions pick up pace again, but the place of non-action is untouched by any action.

So actions don't stop its just the attachment or identification with them has somehow ceased, the bind between what we experience as our existence & all the possible forms we can perceive within existence vanishes. There is just life happening, no duality.

When this unity is lived & experienced, when the duality of attachment is broken, then actions take on a much more graceful unfolding, they move out of reverence of divinity. So less selfish, actions move out of love.

How can throwing yourself on the Divine be bad for anyone in any possible way?

Quote:White Beard said:Try some qigong. I've been doing it for the last few days and have really been enjoying it.

I also noticed the less I tried to make relationships work, the better, smoother, and more enjoyable they became. It's not ignoring relationships, nor is it clinging to them.

Attachments take a while to let go of. Don't think you'll transition from a state of constantly trying to a state of non-doing. Each day try and let go a bit more and have faith that things will work out.

Never done qigong. I'll give it a shot for sure. Good advice all around. It really is a day to day thing.

Quote:cbub said:Same here bro. It's just a lesson to show how easily it is to get off track. Good fortune

Thanks man. I think you're absolutely right. I'm going to do a better job of staying on the right path this time. I think this whole cycle has been a very good lesson to me.

Quote:The Chronic said:So actions don't stop its just the attachment or identification with them has somehow ceased, the bind between what we experience as our existence & all the possible forms we can perceive within existence vanishes. There is just life happening, no duality.

I feel like I'm stuck on my own identity. I'm always concerned about bettering myself and if I'm doing well enough. I feel like a lot of what's blocking me from peaceful detachment is anxiety. I'm too concerned with, like you said, my experience and potential.

How does one overcome oneself? In the past I found it through simplifying my life and through meditation. But there's always that little tug from the carnal world warning that you'll regret giving up this or that, isn't there?

--------------------A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. - Tao Te Ching Chapter 27

A 'nice' thought I have from time to time when I begin to think I'm not living my life to the 'max' or whatever is that most of the world is in poverty, genocide occurs, some people are fucking freaks and animals and I mean the criminals, not the sex enthusiasts, and really life is a gigantic mess, but I don't have to clean it up - it's not my responsibility. So that puts things into perspective for me.

But really any thought or returning thoughts is/are a problem. There shouldn't be thought that is involuntary. However if you just become careless you become an asshole too. You have to work it out in your own mind; how to keep the right thoughts and emotions alive such that you don't sell out on your (probably genetically imprinted) virtues and tastes.

If I may offer just some kind insight my friend. Might I also add I am sorry for your current living situation, but I assure you; things always work out in the end.Its my opinion that non action is not the literal sense of the words. It is more in the teachings. Like seeing the sprout as the seed. A simple example everyone can relate to is rinsing of a dirty plate after eating, makes for easier washing later.

--------------------Strait like a jagged arrow.
Curved like a strait line.

Quote:The Human Floyd said:How does one overcome oneself? In the past I found it through simplifying my life and through meditation. But there's always that little tug from the carnal world warning that you'll regret giving up this or that, isn't there?

You are always where you need to be - this conviction should be unshakeable within you

ENORMOUS, GIGANTIC, no - GARGANTUAN! and UNFATHOMABLE, the INFINITE, AWESOME COMPLEXITY AND MYSTERY... and your question is what should you do with it? It's going to have it's way with you, sport.

That's like trying to bite your own teeth.

I'm doing it now, but it's fun.

Yee haw.

If this is the case then wouldn't that mean that everybody has it right and all is as it should be? Including lies, poverty, suffering, indesency, unkindness ,etc? Honest question here, I'm still discovering a lot of this for the first time.

--------------------A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. - Tao Te Ching Chapter 27